Monday, April 25, 2011

Fantasy Baseball Express Waiver Wire Fire

It's that time again. Time to start surfing that trusty waiver wire. Whether your team is suffering through injuries to key players, you're just not up to par in a few areas, or you just flat out have that itch to make some roster moves, then look no further!

Seth Smith OF - COL (Owned: Yahoo 11%, CBS 38%, ESPN 15.3%)
One weapon that is often overlooked in fantasy baseball is the usefulness of the situational hitter. Seth Smith is this type of player. In 306 AB against right handed pitchers last season, Smith hit 17 HR while scoring 50 runs. His batting average against righties may not have been exciting at .261, but his career average against right handers is .287. So far this season Smith is hitting .325 against right handed pitching in 40 AB with 2 HR. His value is even better in H2H leagues because of his K/BB ratio and his ability to notch extra base hits. In those 306 AB against righties in 2010, Smith hit 16 2B and 5 3B while walking 34 times compared to 56 strikeouts. Only use him against right handed starters and you will benefit.

Alex Gonzalez - ATL (Owned: Yahoo 36%, CBS 40%, ESPN 20.6%)
It amazes me that at a position as shallow as SS a player such as Gonzalez goes as unowned as he does. Last season he hit 23 HR over 595 AB. Yes, his batting average is atrocious and if you are in a H2H league this can be made worse by his OBP and K/BB ratio, but who else are you going to play at SS? Beggars can't be choosers, and there sure are a lot of beggars in fantasy baseball when it comes to SS. So far this season he has 3 HR.

Coco Crisp OF-OAK (Owned: Yahoo 37%, CBS 56%, ESPN 41.3%)
The biggest problem for Crisp is health. Right now Crisp is playing, so he should be owned in mixed leagues of 10 teams or more. In only 290 AB last season Crisp hit .279 with 8 HR and 32 SB. He was only caught stealing 3 times. He also walked 30 times last season while only whiffing 49 times. With good plate discipline and outstanding stolen base potential Crisp is a great addition to any fantasy team if he can stay on the field. Crisp already has 7 stolen bases this season.

Derek Holland SP - TEX (Owned: Yahoo 33%, CBS 55%, ESPN 17.6%)
Much hype has been made of Holland around the Rangers organization. At the age of 24, Holland may finally be ready to make that hype a reality. His growing pains continued last season as noted by his 4.08 ERA. He showed what he was capable of during game 4 of the ALCS against the Yankees last postseason. He pitched 3.2 innings allowing no runs on only 1 hit. Up to this point Holland has an ERA of 3.66 with 16 K and 5 BB. This includes his recent 5 run game against the Yankees in which Holland held the Yanks to only 3 runs prior to surrendering a 2 run bomb by Robinson Cano in the 8th.

Sergio Santos RP - CWS (Owned: Yahoo 19%, CBS 19%, ESPN 2.1%)
With Bobby Jenks gone it seemed Matt Thornton was destined to be a great fantasy option to rack up saves this season. Now it's becoming apparent that many members of the White Sox bullpen are allergic to pitching in the 9th inning. Santos has yet to be given the opportunity to save a game this season, but he has publicly expressed desire to eventually do so. Having pitched himself into a debate over who should get the next save in Chicago, Santos' value is very close to skyrocketing in fantasy baseball. He has yet to allow a run this season and will get the next opportunity to close out a game.